Lucy Gets Chummy With the Neighbors
|season = 6 |number = 17 |overall = 170 |airdate = February 18, 1957 |production = 6-17 / 171 |imdb = tt0609252 |writer = Bob Carroll, Jr. Madelyn Martin Bob Schiller Bob Weiskopf |director = William Asher |previous = "Lucy Misses the Mertzes" |next = "Lucy Raises Chickens" |image = |imagewidth = 300px}} http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s29/ABMfisher/LampshadeHat.jpg http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s29/ABMfisher/ChummyNeighbors.jpg Lucy Gets Chummy With the Neighbors was the 170th overall episode of I Love Lucy, also the 17th episode of season 6, the final season of the series. The episode was directed by William Asher, originally aired on CBS-TV on February 18, 1957. Synopsis Lucy's new neighbor, Betty Ramsey, talks Lucy into buying all new furniture. Frank Nelson and Mary Jane Croft make their initial appearance as the Ramseys. Plot summary Not surprisingly, Lucy wants new furniture to put in her new house. Ricky tells her that she only can spend $500. So, Lucy excitedly goes furniture shopping with her new friend and neighbor, Betty Ramsey. The owner of the furniture store is a friend of Betty's, so he is able to give Lucy a 40% discount. Still, even with this big of a price cut, the furniture ends up costing over $3000! Lucy has nowhere to turn but to call the Mertzes in New York, who say that they'll come out to visit right away. When Ricky hears the outrageous price of the furniture, he demands that Lucy take it back. Lucy doesn't want to hurt Betty's feelings, and Ricky is so mad that Lucy has fallen under Betty's snobbish spell so quickly. When Betty comes over, Lucy tries to kid her way out of why the furniture needs to be returned, too embarrassed to admit that she can't afford it. Betty ends up thinking that Lucy doesn't like her taste. When Ricky goes over to talk to Betty's husband, Ralph, he finds that he, too, can't bring himself to admit that they can't afford the furniture. Ralph, in turn, also thinks that this is an insult to Betty's taste. The two men have a fistfight. Even Little Ricky gets into a fight with the Ramsey boy over whose father is tougher. When the Mertzes arrive, they straighten everything out by admitting the truth- the Ricardos can't afford the furniture. Lucy ends up getting to keep all the furniture, though, because Ricky is going to do a musical show for Ralph that will pay $3500. Trivia *In this episode, it is revealed that Betty Ramsey's husband's name is Ralph, and that her son's name is Bruce. Betty and Ralph Ramsey had been the names of Bob Weiskopf's old neighbors when he lived in Westport. *Although both Mary Jane Croft and Frank Nelson had played a large amount of roles on the show up until this episode, this is the first time either of them have a long-standing character role. *When trying to make an excuse for why the furniture has to be returned, Lucy tells Betty that she thinks Chinese modern furniture would be better. If Lucy really had meant this, she could have taken Carolyn Appleby's season 3 Chinese modern furniture! *Speaking of Carolyn's Chinese modern furniture, which, by the way, was not present in the Applebys' apartment in episode #166, Carolyn didn't have any of the items Lucy describes to Betty as being the typical Chinese modern living room. This may be because some of the items in Lucy's description were more Japanese style than Chinese (i.e. lanterns and screens). Lucy also mentioned low black tables, bamboo mats, floor cushions, and a built-in mah-jong set. Too bad Carolyn didn't have a mah-jong set in her living room. The girls could have played mah-jong in episode #72 instead of bridge with Carolyn's old, sticky deck of cards! *The exact cost of the furniture is $3272.65. A bit over the $500 Ricky allowed Lucy to spend, don't you think? *The new furniture must have been obscenely expensive. Lucy spent over $3200 even WITH the trade-in money on her old furniture and the 40% discount Betty got her! We do learn that the living room furniture cost $1875.50 by itself. *Desi made a dialogue error in this episode. Shortly after Lucy tells him the total cost of the furniture is $3272.65, he says that the total cost is $3292.95! Starring *Lucille Ball ... as Lucy Ricardo *Desi Arnaz ... as Ricky Ricardo *Vivian Vance ... as Ethel Mertz *William Frawley ... as Fred Mertz Guest Starring *Richard Keith ... as Little Ricky *Mary Jane Croft ... as Betty Ramsey *Frank Nelson ... as Ralph Ramsey *Ray Ferrell ... as Bruce Ramsey *Parley Baer ... as Mr. Perry Category:Season 6 Episodes Category:Episodes